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Wednesday, 25 November 2015

Ski Touring

Igloo Ed in Yellowstone National Park

Walking over the snow-covered mountains a few days ago (see my last post) my thoughts turned to ski touring. There wasn't enough snow to make me wish I'd brought my skis, though I did see two others skiing (and one person carrying their skis) but there was enough to be exciting. Thinking of skiing was further encouraged via a message from Igloo Ed asking if I fancied a trip later in the season, maybe in the Colorado Rockies. I do indeed! Then today Andrew Skurka reposted a piece on his choice of ski gear (and I was interested to see he uses Asnes Nansen skis - I have a pair of the original version of these, dating from 1987!). It seems I'm not the only person thinking of ski touring.

Below is a feature that appeared in the February issue of The Great Outdoors this year, illustrated with photos from previous ski tours. I hope to have new pictures from this season's tours soon.

SKI TOURING

Ski
touring, also known as backcountry skiing and, when summits are involved, ski
mountaineering, is essentially hillwalking and backpacking on skis. Travelling
over snow-covered hills is much easier on skis than it is on foot, especially when
the snow is deep. It’s also much more fun. Instead of slogging through the
snow, sinking in with every step, you can glide over the surface. Being able to
ski brings freedom to the winter hills.

Ski
touring covers everything from short trips on gentle terrain to long mountain
ascents. Once you’re away from cut tracks and ski resorts then you’re ski
touring. Where you can go and how far you can go depends on skill, fitness and,
to some extent, equipment. Even a short ski across local moors or through nearby
woods is ski touring.

Skking through the woods in Strathspey

Ski
touring can be divided into two basic types: - free-heel and Alpine. In the
first your heels are not fastened to the skis and boots flex at the forefoot so
you can stride along, gliding on your skis. This is the best system for long
tours on undulating terrain but doesn’t give the same downhill control as
Alpine touring. Free-heel skiing gear can be divided into Nordic touring gear
which is excellent on gentle terrain and rolling hills and heavier Telemark
gear which is slower and harder work on the flat but better on longer and
steeper downhill sections. Cross-country skiing gear is the lightest in the
free-heel category but it’s designed for skiing in cut tracks and is only
suitable for low level and gentle hills. I wouldn’t recommend it for most
touring.

A Telemark turn on a descent in the Glen Affric hills

As the
name suggests Alpine ski touring involves similar gear to downhill Alpine
skiing, that is rigid boots that are clamped to the ski at toe and heel.
However Alpine touring bindings allow you to release the heel for skiing uphill
and on flat terrain. You don’t have the same freedom of movement as with
free-heel gear even with the heel released because of the inflexible boot soles
though. However you will have more control skiing downhill, especially on very
steep slopes. Alpine ski touring is often called ski mountaineering and it’s
the type of touring for those who want to tackle big steep mountains on skis.

If you’ve
never skied before I recommend taking a course, as this is by far the best way
to learn. You don’t need to be a proficient downhill skier to go ski touring
though. Indeed, I think general winter mountain skills are far more important.
And you need to know how to move efficiently on the flat and how to ski uphill.
You’ll spend far more time doing these than you will skiing downhill.

The Challenge of Ski Touring

Ski
touring can be as challenging as you want to make it. Shuffling over gentle
terrain doesn’t require much skill and you can take the skis off and walk if
you encounter terrain beyond your skills. This can soon become frustrating
though. At the other extreme skiing down very steep mountains requires great
skill. Most ski tourers will find a position that suits them between these two.
However you don’t need to be a technically proficient skier to go ski touring
even in the hills as long as you avoid the steepest slopes. Basic skiing skills
are adequate. The main challenge of ski touring is the same as for winter hillwalking
in fact – the ability to deal with weather and snow.

Skiing in deep snow can be hard work

Fitness
is important as ski touring is more demanding than walking if you want to glide
rather than shuffle (though not more demanding than trudging through deep snow
on foot). Any regular hill walker should be fit enough for ski touring however
as long as you don’t try and do too much until your muscles are used to the
different movements. Using trekking poles when walking greatly helps with ski
touring. Before I used poles in summer my arms and shoulders used to ache on
the first ski tours of the winter. Now I use poles year round this has stopped.

Potential Risks

The main
risks with ski touring are the same as for winter hillwalking. Ski tourers need
to be able to navigate in blizzards, assess avalanche danger and cope with
sub-zero temperatures. There may be times when ice axe and crampons are needed
for safety rather than skis so you need the skills to use these. (Ultralight
ones are available for ski touring).

Because
you can easily travel much further on skis than you would on foot care needs to
be taken with timing so you don’t find yourself getting tired with far still to
go or caught out in the dark (though if planned night-time skiing can be
wonderful) or a storm.

Group shelters in use in a storm during a ski tour in Norway

One skill
that is different with skiing than walking is route-finding. The best walking
routes often follow narrow ridges or traverse steep slopes that would be
difficult and potentially dangerous on skis. Terrain needs to be viewed
differently and assessed for ski rather than foot travel. Often broad ridges or
valley bottoms make for the safest and easiest terrain. Summer walking routes,
such as ones that zigzag up the back walls of corries, may cross dangerous
avalanche terrain too. If in doubt find another route or turn back.

Choosing Gear

The basic
gear for ski touring consists of skis, bindings and ski boots. I’d add climbing
skins (sticky strips of material that fasten to the base of the skis and stop
them sliding back when you’re ascending) to this last as they make climbs much,
much easier.

Cost
depends on the type of ski touring. Roughly, Nordic touring gear costs from
£500 upwards, Telemark gear from £800 and Alpine gear from £1000. These prices
include skis, bindings, poles, boots and climbing skins. If you already have
trekking poles these can be used – just get some wide snow baskets for them –
saving £50-£100.

These
gear categories are not absolute. There is much overlap. The same skis are
often used for Telemark and Alpine touring, the same boots and bindings for
Nordic and Telemark. Buying from a shop specialising in ski touring gear that
can give good advice is sensible. That way you can avoid the expensive mistake
I made when I began – buying unsuitable gear that was all replaced within a few
years.

Igloo Ed waxing his skis

Alpine
skis always come with a smooth base for fast gliding downhill. Skins are used
on flat and uphill terrain. Some Nordic and Telemark skis come with patterns
cut in the base that prevent the skis slipping back so you don’t need to use
skins except on steep slopes. Waxless bases usually work okay but can’t be
varied to suit the conditions. Better are skis with smooth bases to which you
can apply grip waxes so you don’t need to use skins on flat and undulating
terrain and short ascents. While very effective skins stop the skis from
gliding and so are slow and hard work on gentle terrain. With the right wax the
skis should glide easily without slipping backwards. A few hard waxes that
cover a wide-range of temperatures are all that are needed. It doesn’t take
long to learn basic waxing. You can wax alpine skis but they are almost flat
without the spring in the middle of Nordic skis (known as camber) so the wax
doesn’t last long and glide is limited.

Because
skis, poles and, especially, bindings can break or develop mechanical problems
a repair kit with spare screws, a multi-tool and other items is worth putting
together. A loose binding a long way from home can really slow you down.

If going
into avalanche terrain you need to think about avalanche safety gear such as
transceivers. A snow shovel is often listed as avalanche gear. I carry one on
every trip anyway as it has other uses such as building snow shelters and
windbreaks.

In
Britain skis may have to be carried to the snow so a rucksack with side straps
to attach them is useful. Rucksacks should be close-fitting and stable too. You
don’t want to be thrown off-balance on a fast descent.

Winter
hillwalking clothing is fine for ski touring. Note though that skiing is often
more energetic than skiing so over-heating is more likely. Don’t wear too much
when on the move.

Ski
touring can be done wherever there’s enough snow – I even skied down Skipton
High Street once! However there are places where snow is more likely and where
the terrain is more suitable. Rolling hills with wide open slopes and broad
shoulders, ridges and plateaus are ideal, steep rocky hills are more
challenging and often require more on-foot mountaineering and less skiing.
Grassy and stony hills need less snow to make ski touring possible than ones covered
in deep heather. Broadly in Britain this means the best areas are the Eastern
Lake District – Helvellyn and High Street ranges; the Pennines; Central and
Southern Welsh hills – Plynlimon, Brecon Beacons, Black Mountains; the Southern
Uplands; and the Central and Eastern Highlands – Creag Meagaidh, Monadh Liath,
the Cairngorms. Of these the most reliable snow is found in the Cairngorms,
unsurprisingly as it has by far the largest area of high ground in Britain –
there hasn’t been a winter in the last 25 years when I haven’t been able to go
ski touring here.

How
difficult a tour is depends on the snow and the steepness of the terrain.
Breakable crust where your skis break through the surface of the snow makes any
tour arduous. Icy terrain can make controlling your speed more difficult. Soft
deep powder – rare in Britain – can enable you to descend steep slopes quite
easily. In descent the angle of the slope is important too of course though
there are techniques – traverse and kick turn, snow plough – that can allow any
skier to descend challenging terrain.

FIVE TOP SKI TOURS

Here are
five of my favourite ski tours and areas. In terms of technical difficulty
these all come in the easy to moderate range. They all require good navigation
and winter hillwalking skills.

Skiing across the Cairngorm Plateau

Ben Macdui

The
crossing of the Cairngorm Plateau to Ben Macdui and back is one of the finest
ski tours there is and one that takes you into really wild and remote country.
It’s also my favourite tour and one I do at least once every year. Technically
it’s not a difficult tour but the Plateau is exposed and navigation can be
difficult if the mist comes down. The distance is around 17km with some 800
metres of ascent, depending on the exact route, and the trip takes 6-8 hours.
The tour starts at the Cairngorm Mountain car park in Coire Cas (bus available
from Aviemore) and climbs to the Plateau via the Fiacaill a’Choire Chais ridge.
This often has cornices on the east and can be icy at the top – I’ve needed
crampons occasionally – so care is needed. Once the Plateau is reached the
skiing across the undulating terrain to Ben Macdui is wonderful with splendid
views all around. Return can be made across the western flanks of Cairn Lochan
and then down Lurcher’s Gully, which holds the snow well and makes a great
downhill run.

The summit of Ben Macdui

Three Monadh Liath Munros

The
rolling boggy Monadh Liath hills are transformed by snow into an arctic
landscape with vast views in every direction. Traversing them on skis is easier
than walking in summer as the bogs and tussocks that can be so wearying are
buried. The three eastern Munros – A’Chailleach, Carn Sgulain and Carn Dearg - can
be skied in one trip from Glen Banchor. The distance is quite long at around
25km and there’s over 1000 metres of ascent but the skiing is mostly easy –
this is a tour for light Nordic gear that lets you swoop over the snowfields. The
trip takes 8-9 hours.

Creag Meagaidh

This big
plateau-mountain in the heart of the Central Highlands is excellent ski touring
country. The ascent of Creag Meagaidh can be combined with two adjacent Munros
– Stob Poite Coire Ardair and Carn Liath – for a round of Coire Ardair from
Aberarder. The distance is 18km and there’s over 1100 metres of ascent. I’d
allow 8-9 hours. Much of the tour is above 900 metres so this is an exposed
route. The views are tremendous and the long descent from Carn Liath almost all
the way back to the start is superb.

On the Moine Mhor

The Moine Mhor

A great
plateau mostly above 800 metres, the Moine Mhor – the Great Moss – offers a
wide variety of ski tours. There are five Munros in the area but the real joy
is being able to ski for miles across the vast snowfields with nothing but sky,
snow and mountains all around. The rolling terrain is best suited to Nordic or
light Telemark skis. The Moine Mhor is most easily accessed from Glen Feshie.
One superb tour goes right across the plateau from Achlean in Glen Feshie to
Monadh Mor, one of the Munros. 20kms long with over a 1000 metres of ascent
this tour takes around 7-8 hours. A shorter route – 17kms with 750 metres of
ascent - on the western edge of the Moine Mhor goes from Achlean to another
Munro, Mullach Clach a’Bhlair. For a really long trip into more serious terrain
with steeper slopes and bigger mountains the Moine Mhor can be crossed to
Braeriach and Cairn Toul, a trip that gives fantastic views down into the
Lairig Ghru and across to Ben Macdui. This is an outing that requires stamina
and fitness – it’s 32kms long with 1400 metres of ascent and will take most
skiers 10-12 hours.

The White Mounth

The White
Mounth is the third great plateau of the Scottish Highlands. Bounded by
Glenshee to the west, Deeside to the north and the Angus Glens to the east it’s
a huge upland area containing 13 Munros including Lochnagar and Glas Maol. The
possibilities for ski touring are many. One excellent tour goes from the
Glenshee ski resort in the Cairnwell Pass over 5 Munros on the west side of the
White Mounth- Glas Maol, Cairn of Claise, Tom Buidhe, Tolmount and Carn an
Tuirc. This tour is 21km long with 1100 metres of ascent and takes around 7
hours. From Glen Doll on the other side of the White Mounth the two Munros of
Mayar and Driesh can be skied along, again, with Tom Buidhe on a 23km tour that
involves 1200km of ascent and takes 7-9 hours. On both these and other tours on
the White Mounth once the initial climb is over and the plateau reached great
distances can quickly be covered when the snow is good, making this another
area for Nordic and light Telemark gear.

Igloos

Staying
out overnight in the winter hills is a wonderful experience. Tents are good if
you’re moving on every day, especially if you’ll be skiing long distances.
However tents are not so good if you’re in one place for two or more nights,
especially if it’s stormy. A snow shelter is much better, being roomy and
weatherproof, and an igloo is the best form of snow shelter as you can build one
wherever there’s enough snow. Igloos are light inside. Snow holes are dark and
can only built on steep banks with deep snow. I’ve spent many nights in igloos
and have built them in the Cairngorms and the Glen Affric hills. In an igloo
you can’t even tell what the weather is doing outside. There’s ample space to
sit and cook and stretch out. With an Icebox tool (www.grandshelters.com) two or three people can build an igloo in three
or four hours. Once up an igloo will last as long as it stays cold and can be
used again and again.

4 comments:

Really enjoyed reading this, Chris. Took me back to the 80s when I first started touring with you in the Highlands. Many stories and memories! If the opportunity arises I would live to re-live some of those tours with you this winter, so keep us updated on the conditions. I'm out in the Alps for most of February but March and April are pretty free at the moment. Hope you get a ski tour in before too long!

Thanks for sharing that Chris. I can certainly recommend Mountain Spirit in Aviemore for hiring gear. Others may be hit and miss? as I hired some skis for a ski tour trip in Poland from elsewhere and the skis were not conditioned, which made the trip arduous whilst my Polish friend glided effortlessly.

I think I'll buy gear for a possible next trip to Poland. My Polish friend took me to some wonderful winter wonderland hills there, well away from the crowds, with good public transport/facilities etc. Rabka Zdroj is a great place to ski, with the shepherds' huts left open for making a brew. Cold though!! -8c. I even felt like an explorer as Tomasz said "you are probably the first Englishman to ski through these forests", although his humour is legendary.